Another anniversary of the
victory of the Islamic Revolution meant the next round of all international sports and
cultural events held in Iran to celebrate the occasion. As Iranian movies introduced a
genuine form of artfilm to the world in 1990s, Irans annual international film
festival (Fajr) had to meet international expectations. This year, the 19th Fajr International Film
Festival hosted 19 movies from 14 countries in the international section as well as 20
films in the national section. At the same time, a special section was dedicated to the
screening and review of the works of Robert De Niro, the Hollywood icon. An outstanding part of the closing ceremony
was when the Award of Awards was presented to Dr. Seyed Ataollah Mohajerani, the former
minister of culture and Islamic guidnace who, till last year, used to present Fajr awards
himself.

Close to the
Public Vote (Statements of Seyfollah Daad, Deputy Minister of Culture for Cinema)

Majid
Majidis Rain and Bahram Beyzaies Killing Dogs were the favorites
of Fajr International Film Festival

Fajr Film Festival
could have included more movies. However, this was not possible due to our limited
screening possibilities. Boards of judges in both international and national sections
shouldered great responsibilities. The 19th Fajr International Film Festival is exceptional since for
the first time, the audience will have a vote to choose the best movie in both national
and international sections. Drawing on the viewpoints of President
Khatamis administration, Fajr Film Festival has tried to select its board of judges
from among those filmmakers and artists who have a greater public mandate. Their vote
therefore is authentic and impartial, based on their expert views.

By holding an
international film festival on a regular basis, Iran is in fact developing the concept of
Cinema and Dialogue among Civilizations

In a section called Cinema and
Dialogue among Civilizations, useful seminars were held with the participation of
scholars and in this respect we have put a particular proposal before UNESCO to dedicate a
movie theater in each member country for screening movies made by other countries. This
proposal has been welcomed by UNESCO Secretary General. It is in fact a suggestion for
dialogue among civilizations in the movie business.

And the Winner Is

Majid Majidi is becoming another
well-known director of Iran for his brilliant movies coming out one by one. His
masterpieces like Father, the Color of Heaven and Children of Heaven have made him famous
in Europe and at the Academy Awards. This year, Majidis latest release Rain
had 13 nominations and swept 7 of them. And of course, Majidi himself won the Best
Director award.
The next shining movie was Killing Dogs directed by the veteran Bahram Beyzaie.
The movie took home 5 awards out of its 12 nominations. Meanwhile, critics referred to Unfinished
Piece by Mazyar Miri as an admiring work. Here is a list of major winners in different
categories: